Tioga Road Scrambles (15-16 June 2013)

Spark Notes: Mount Hoffman to Tuolumne Peak, and Unicorn Peak

I landed at SFO on a flight from Hong Kong at 10:30pm on Friday. After a couple hours more work, my jetlag was still fully in effect and I very much felt like an escape. I had (apparently) planned well two weeks previously because the car was already packed for any weekend camping/climbing. So, at 1:00am on Saturday I hit the road and headed west, stopping at about 4:00 to bivy in the back of the Forester at the Hardin Flat turnoff.

Since I had no partner, and my head for climbing is usually poor when jetlagged, I looked forward to a weekend of hiking and scrambling. My itinerary on Saturday was a little like this trip report from legendary Sierra scrambler Bob Burd. I took a slightly different route up Mount Hoffman, closer to the South Face, but with a detour up a short cliff band and then slabs that made the route closer to a 4+/5- scramble, but with solid holds and only a little wetness. I did find the same ridge between Hoffman and Tuolumne, though, which was the high point of the day. The views all around were fantastic, and the rock was mostly clear. North facing gullies still had snow, but there was plenty of dry rock to stick to.

May Lake and the southern Yosemite high country

Using the non-climbing weekend for exploration, I visited the "9000 ft bivy" outside the park's east entrance for the first time on Saturday night. Definitely recommended if the Tuolumne campground is full or you prefer to drive 20 minutes rather than pay $20 for camping. A full day, and lack of rest, let me fall asleep by 10, but I was still up for sunrise on Sunday.

The plan was a quick hike and then back to SF for the afternoon. Unicorn Peak was a perfect objective, and only took me 3.5 hours car-to-car. The bugs around Lake Elizabeth ate me alive, but once away from the water the weather was perfect: sunny with still a slight chill in the air. The summit ridge had breathtaking exposure that got my heart rate going. Described by Secor as class 4, it definitely felt more like easy class 5, but I guess that's what old school ratings mean. Definitely fun climbing and mostly solid holds, again with great views of the high country to the north and south.

I'll be back to China in just a couple more weeks, so I hope to get at least a day, maybe two, of climbing in before then.

Tenaya Peak, Northwest Buttress (15 Sept 2012)

Spark Notes: Northwest Buttress, Tenaya Peak (Guide: Tuolumne Free Climbs by SuperTopo)

Song of the Weekend:  Tribute - Tenacious D (Spotify)

I don't often make daytrips to Tuolumne, but Bennet was looking to extend a daytrip of his, and so I was lured up for a trip up Tenaya Peak. Both of us were afraid the day would be long and that we might take too long on the route. Turns out the pitches go fast when you simul-climb.

The day went something like this:
21:04 - burrito, 1st half
12:03 - arrive porcupine flat
12:15 - fall asleep
6:45 - open eyes
7:15 - get out of the sleeping bag
8:45 - begin hiking
10:00 - begin climbing
14:00 - top out
14:05 - burrito, 2nd half
14:50 - leave summit
16:30 - back at the lake
17:00 - swimming in the lake
18:00 - on the road
22:30 - back in the city
02:00 - burrito in the Mission

(check it out fullscreen)

Overall, I thought the route was a ton of fun.  Bennet led the whole day, while I practiced simul-climbing as a follower.  We started a bit higher than the SuperTopo-described start, and finished on something that felt like a 5.8 variation that finished about 150 feet left of the summit.  Except for the very finish, and a short slab section with thin cracks, the climbing was all easier than 5.4, and I found myself managing large loops of slack. The approach and descent weren't that bad at all (somehow we got lucky), with the notable exception that I had to hike in Wallabees, which proved to be better than the alternative: flip flops).  The other highlight of the day: an ice cold swim and relaxing by the beach of Tenaya Lake.  It seemed every other party on the peak had the same idea, too.

Ticklist:
Northwest Buttress (5.5) - long, easy grade, spectacular position, great intro to trad leading - 14 guidebook pitches, climbed in 3 simul-pitches (highly recommended) + 2 ropelengths (would've simuled if we didn't climb into a bottleneck)

Matthes Crest (1 July 2012)

Song of the Weekend: The Presidents Of The United States Of America – Kick Out the Jams (Spotify)

Wooohoooo! That's really all I have to say about that....but I guess I'll go on anyway.

Traverse the skyline from right to left, rappel from the highpoint

After a day of hanging out with friends (E and G were passing through on the PCT), and actually climbing the last few weeks, I was actually excited about climbing and about leading.  Bennet was psyched too, though, so I let him take the first pitch.  I led off from there, taking one of the "many options" in the SuperTopo to get around other parties on the route. I climbed quickly, I climbed well, I placed little gear.  I was psyched, all was well.

B strolling along the Crest.

The day was sunny, the temps were great, and I was having a good day.  The exposure was enough to keep me on my toes mentally, but in most places the climbing was mellow and fun (with a step or two to think about here and there).  We were one of five parties on the ridge, but never really ran into them once we got on the ridge.

We descended from the south summit and debated hitting the north summit. We were tight on time, but figured  we'd go anyway...might as well, right?  Just climb fast so that Kat wouldn't worry. I wanted to lead the last pitch, but I saw that Bennett kind of did but wasn't going to without a push.  There are no friends on a powder day, but this wasn't a powder day.  Pushing him to lead, and seeing him push and crush it was great.

Cathedral Peak...next time...

For some reason, the only time I was gripped all day was while following on top rope.  I guess there's something about seeing that loop of slack in front of me that makes me nervous (even though I know I'm facing a much, much bigger fall after not placing gear for 20 feet.  Something to work on I guess.

Anyway, after following B as fast as I could, and barely stopping for a breath on the north summit, I started setting up rappels.  We hiked fast back from the base, then at the lake a couple miles from the trailhead B stopped for a refreshing swim and I started running (in case Kat hadn't gotten my text).  Turns out, she had and I ended up getting a good work out and bruised toes from running in approach shoes for a few miles.  At least the extra speed got me car to car in in under 12 hours (including the 1.5 hour wait to start the route).

Ticklist:
Matthes Crest (5.7) - small rack, as many or as few pitches as you want, we roped up for the first 3, the crux in the middle and the last pitch.